VIENNA — Voters in Vienna approved the town’s proposed spending plan for the year, adding in raises for the three selectmen, the fire chief and his deputy and assistant chiefs and the town’s webmaster.
For about an hour and a half about 30 people gathered in the Community Center to approve routine annual spending for the town of 578 residents.
Selectmen had proposed a spending plan of $621,311, but amendments from the floor added $500 to the compensation for each of the three members of the Board of Selectmen, $150 for the town webmaster and $500 each for the fire chief, assistant chief and deputy chief.
In proposing the increase for the selectmen, Creston Gaither said their pay had been frozen at $6,000 for a number of years, and given what inflation is projected to be, the current salary represented a pay cut.
Before the floor amendments, annual town spending was proposed to increase by about $16,000 over the previous year. Part of that increase was attributed to an increase in the cost of waste management for the town.
“We have to pay extra for our bulky pickups now,” Selectman Chris Smith said. “Too many people were taking advantage of it over the years, and they can’t afford to do it for free anymore.”
While the warrant article sought $73,000, Smith offered up a revised amount of $81,000, which voters approved.
Selectmen Chris Smith, left, and Jeff Rackliff listen Saturday as fellow board member Laura Church speaks during the annual Vienna Town Meeting. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal
“There was a real possibility the town was going to lose all of its bulky pickup,” Selectwoman Laura Church said. “Folks were being kind to their neighbors from other towns and letting them leave appliances in their yards. In the last two years, the sheer volume of stuff made it not profitable for Riverside (Disposal).”
Smith said bulky waste should be limited to two cubic yards, or about the same amount that can be fit in the bed of a pickup truck.
In approving the Town Meeting warrant, voters also agreed to make the final payment of $14,141 on the town fire truck, and applauded the end of the payments.
In Vienna, the property tax rate is currently $19.40 per $1,000 of assessed value. While the town’s spending is not expected to have a significant impact on the tax rate, it’s too soon to know what the rate for the year will be. Kennebec County and the Mt. Blue Regional School District, which includes Vienna, have not yet completed their budgets.
Before the start of the meeting, Richard Nystrom addressed the gathering for about 15 minutes, describing his arrest 22 years ago on a charge of disorderly conduct. He said he was asking the town to recognize him as a sovereign citizen and requested the return of the property tax he has paid over the last 22 years.
At Friday’s election, Vienna residents reelected Selectman Christopher Smith to a three-year term with 30 votes. Kathleen Kelly earned 1.
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